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Sustainable groundwater resources exploration and management in a complex geological setting as part of a humanitarian project (Mahafaly Plateau, Madagascar)

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Abstract

Southwestern Madagascar is a semi-arid region and a hot-spot of global change. On the Mahafaly plateau, people live with quasi-permanent water stress and groundwater, the only available resource, is difficult to exploit due to a complex hydrogeological environment. A methodology (suitable for humanitarian projects; < 40 k€) was developed in four phases to assess the sustainable exploitation of the water resource: (A) regional scale exploration, (B) village scale exploration, (C) drilling campaign, and (D) hydro-climatic monitoring. This integrated hydrogeophysical approach involves geophysical measurements (262 TEM-fast soundings, 2588 Slingram measurements, 35 electrical soundings), hydrochemical analyses (112 samples), and a piezometric survey (127 measurements). Two groundwater resources were identified, one deep (below 150 m) and one shallow (< 20 m). Hydrochemical results highlighted the vulnerability of both resources: anthropic contamination for the shallower and seawater intrusion for the deeper. Therefore, subsequent geophysical surveys supported the siting of six boreholes and three wells in the shallow aquifer. This methodological approach was successful in this complex geological setting and requires testing at other sites in and outside Madagascar. The study demonstrates that geophysical results should be used in addition to drilling campaigns and to help monitor the water resource. In fact, to prevent over-exploitation, piezometric and meteorological sensors were installed to monitor the water resource. This unique hydro-climatic observatory may help (1) non-governmental organization and local institutions prevent future water shortages and (2) scientists to understand better how global change will affect this region of the world.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to: the donors (Sustainable Initiatives for Water (SIWA), DG International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO), Agence de l’Eau Loire-Bretagne (AELB), Agence de l’Eau Adour-Garonne (AEAG), Syndicat Intercommunal Garrigues Campagne, Ville de la Rochelle, Conseil Régional Midi Pyrénées, Action Contre la Faim (ACF)); the local partners (the Malagasy Water Direction (DREAH), the Malagasy Meteorological Direction (SMR)); the AAH members who work on this project (Aude Lazzarini, Esteban Vallejo, Karl Lellouche, Nicolas Guibert).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unité Mixte de Recherche 1114 Environnement Méditerranéen et Modélisation des Agro-Hydrosystèmes (EMMAH), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), Université d’Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse (UAPV), 301 rue Baruch de Spinoza, BP 21239, 84916, Avignon Cedex 9, France

    Simon Damien Carrière, Konstantinos Chalikakis, Chloé Ollivier & Marina Gillon

  2. Action Contre la Faim, 14-16 Bd Douaumont, 75017, Paris, France

    Tom Heath, Marie Mangin & Jean Lapègue

  3. Département des Sciences de la Terre, Université de Toliara, BP 185-601, Toliara, Madagascar

    Jacques Bablon Randriatsitohaina & Théodore Razakamanana

  4. Unité Mixte de Recherche 50001, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement/Université de Grenoble Alpes/Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement, CS 40700, 38058, Grenoble Cedex 9, France

    Jean Kempf

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  1. Simon Damien Carrière
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  2. Konstantinos Chalikakis
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  4. Tom Heath
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  5. Marie Mangin
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  7. Jacques Bablon Randriatsitohaina
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  8. Marina Gillon
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  9. Théodore Razakamanana
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  10. Jean Lapègue
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Correspondence to Simon Damien Carrière.

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This article is a part of Topical Collection in Environmental Earth Sciences on Water Sustainability: A Spectrum of Innovative Technology and Remediation Methods, edited by Dr. Derek Kim, Dr. Kwang-Ho Choo, and Dr. Jeonghwan Kim.

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Carrière, S.D., Chalikakis, K., Ollivier, C. et al. Sustainable groundwater resources exploration and management in a complex geological setting as part of a humanitarian project (Mahafaly Plateau, Madagascar). Environ Earth Sci 77, 734 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7909-1

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